"The Holy Family of Nazareth is truly the 'prototype" of every Christian family which…is called to carry out the wonderful vocation and mission of being the living cell not only of society but also of the Church, a sign and instrument of unity
for the entire human race."

- Pope Benedict XVI

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Remarkable 3D images of a foetus in a womb reveal how a baby’s touching of its face is indicative of its physical and psychological development

Posted by Joseph on 9 October, 2013

Durham University researchers said touching different parts of the face can indicate a baby’s physical and psychological development in the womb

Scientists said babies could be ill if they are not able to anticipate touch by certain points of the pregnancy

The study is the first to demonatrate that foetuses can predict and not just react to touch and sheds more light on when a baby is ready to be born

Babies learn how to anticipate touch while in the womb and how they touch their face and head can be an indicator of how well they are developing physically and psychologically before they are born.

For the first time, psychologists discovered that foetuses were able to predict, rather than react to, their own hand movements towards their mouths as they entered the later stages of gestation compared to earlier in a pregnancy.

The researchers believe their findings could improve understanding about babies, especially those born prematurely, their readiness to interact socially and their ability to calm themselves by sucking on their thumb or fingers.